Area boys stormed Ibadan community, injure policemen

Area boys in the Apata area of Ibadan on Tuesday terrorized the people of that community, attacking passersby and injuring at least three policemen from the Apata division who responded to the chaos.

An eyewitness said that trouble started when someone bought a mobile telephone from a trader but discovered that the telephone was faulty.

It was learnt that when the person tried to return the phone, the trader refused to accept it and denied that it was faulty stating that it was purchased in good condition. The buyer was displeased by the response, then gathered his friends to the location.

The eyewitness said:

“The buyer, who is a notorious ‘area boy’ got angry after discovering that the telephone he had paid for was not good.

“The Igbo trader in Apata stood his ground that he would not accept the phone back. Before now, there had been tension between the Igbo traders in the area and some suspected miscreants who extort money from the traders and commercial drivers.

“The buyer left but returned with many touts who attacked the traders and chased them away. They also attacked other people while three policemen were injured.”

The Police Public Relations Officer of the Oyo State Police Command, Adekunle Ajisebutu, confirmed that there was trouble in the area but said it was a misunderstanding between area biys and commercial drivers.

He said:

“There was a complaint against some agberos in the area which led to a fracas. We have deployed policemen to the area to restore order.

“We warn all those who want to cause trouble in the state to think twice because they will be fished out, arrested and prosecuted,” he said.